Our 2025 Nominees

Aisle Nine

Ian Cho

Science Fiction Horror

When a hell portal opens up in aisle nine, discount-mart checkout clerk Jasper teams up with his crush, who shares his frightening vison of the impending apocalypse, to save the world before this Black Friday becomes the darkest yet. Gr. 8-12 🎧

America Redux

Ariel Aberg-Riger
Nonfiction

In this immersive experience, 21 visual stories reveal the extraordinary, unexpected, sometimes darker sides of history that reverberate in our society today, exploring themes that create our shared sense of American identity and questioning the myths we've been telling ourselves for centuries. Gr. 7-12

Bletchley Riddle

Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin
Historical Mystery

A stunning collaboration between two award-winning and best-selling authors follows siblings Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie as they find themselves at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers working to decrypt the Nazi's Enigma cipher, where the two struggle to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance against the backdrop of the Battle of Britain and Hitler's feared invasion. Gr. 5-10 🎧

Call Me Iggy

Jorge Augusto Aguirre & Rafael Rosado
Paranormal Graphic Novel

Crushing on a girl at school who doesn't know he exists, Ohio-born Colombian American teen Iggy finds his life unraveling when his grandfather's ghost decides to meddle in his love life, setting him off on a journey of self-discovery. Gr. 8-12

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky

Josh Galarza
Realistic Fiction

Fueling all his anxieties into his comic book series, Brett must face the painful truths of his real life and his escalating eating disorder when someone posts his journal--and his deepest insecurities--online. Gr. 10-12

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

Lex Croucher
Historical Romance

Forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, Arthur and Gwendoline, betrothed since birth, discover they make better allies than enemies as they cover for each other so they can pursue their real romantic interests. Gr. 8-12

HappyHead

Josh Silver

Dystopian Thriller

Seb, who was selected for a new experimental mental health center called HappyHead designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, participates in assessments to help him better face the challenges of the real world, but after meeting Finn, Seb questions the true nature of the center. Gr. 7-12

I Kick and I Fly

Ruchira Gupta
Realistic Fiction

Instead of being sold into Bihar, India's sex trade, 14-year-old Heera stays at a local hostel for at-risk girls where she learns, through the practice of martial arts, that her body is a vessel through which she can protect herself and those around her. Gr. 7-9

I Will Never Leave You

Kara Kennedy
Thriller Ghost Story

A teen girl is being haunted by the ghost of her toxic ex-girlfriend, who gives her a chilling ultimatum--help her possess another girl or go down for her murder. Gr. 8-12 🎧

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge

Matthew Hubbard
Realistic Fiction

A queer YA coming-of-age featuring three queer teenage boys in small town Alabama who set out to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends and end up fighting their school's anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. Gr. 9-12 🎧

Looking For Smoke

K. A. Cobell
Thriller

When a classmate is murdered during a traditional Blackfeet giveaway, Mara, Loren, Brody and Eli, the last people to see her alive, must take matters into their own hands and clear their names -- even though one of them may be the killer. Gr. 9-12

Navigating With You

Jeremy Whitley  & Cassio Ribeiro
Realistic Fiction Graphic Novel

When new students Neesha Sparks and Gabby Graciana discover they like the same obscure manga series, they become friends and set out on a mission to find the remaining books in the series. Gr. 6-12

The No-Girlfriend Rule

Christen Randall

Romance

Julie Murphy meets Casey McQuiston in this unforgettable queer romance about a teen girl whose foray into fantasy tabletop roleplaying brings her new confidence, true friends, and a shot at real, swoon-worthy love. Gr. 9-12

The Reappearance of Rachel Price

Holly Jackson
Thriller

When her mother, who disappeared 16 years before, reappears while a true crime documentary about her case is being filmed, 18-year-old Bel, not buying her mom's unbelievable story about what happened to her, must uncover the real reason Rachel Price is back from the dead. Gr. 9-12 🎧

Red

Annie Cardi
Realistic Fiction

When Tess's decision to get an abortion goes public, she is rejected and harassed by people in her community, but she soon finds solace in her music and uses her voice to end the cycle of abuse in her small town. Gr. 8-12

Spirit Sleuths

Gail Jarrow

Nonfiction

Desperate to communicate with their dead loved ones after WWI and the 1918 influenza pandemic, the bereaved fell prey to extortion by fraudulent mediums and fortune-tellers. But magician Harry Houdini wasn't fooled. Angered by the way people were exploited, Houdini and his head secret agent, Rose Mackenberg, set out to expose the ghost hoaxes. Gr. 7-12

Star Splitter

Matthew Kirby
Science Fiction

In 2199, 17-year-old Jessica Mathers wakes up on a desolate, post-extinction planet 14 light years from Earth and must make sense of the bloody destruction around her, as well as the questionable intentions of a familiar stranger. Gr. 7-12 🎧

Twenty-four Seconds From Now

Jason Reynolds
Contemporary Romance

In a series of moments spanning two years, seventeen-year-old Neon navigates the progression of his relationship with Aria, culminating in a case of the jitters as the two intend to take the next big step in their relationship. Gr. 9-12 🎧

Where Sleeping Girls Lie

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Supernatural Mystery

Starting her junior year of high school at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy, Sade Hussein decides to investigate when her roommate Elizabeth goes missing and is plunged into a world of dark secrets--ones that rival even her own. Gr. 9-12 🎧

The Wilderness of Girls

Madeline Claire Franklin
Psychological suspense

Rhi is hungry for a fresh start and begins working at the Happy Valley Wildlife Preserve. While in the woods, she stumbles upon a surreal sight: a pack of wolves guarding four feral and majestic girls. After Rhi gains their trust, they reveal that they're princesses from another land, raised by a magical prophet they call Mother--and they're convinced Rhi is their lost fifth sister. As the hunt for answers intensifies, Rhi must make a decision that will change the course of her life and the lives of her Wild Girls forever. Gr. 9-12

Wish You Weren't Here

Erin Baldwin
Romantic Comedy

Juliette and her school rival Priya Pendley, navigate a truce to peacefully coexist, but when Priya unexpectedly becomes Juliette's cabinmate at Fogridge Sleepaway Camp, their uneasy peace turns into something more. Gr. 8-12 🎧